Not likely, the reference checks will be answered with “I can only verify the dates of employment and last position held....No, he is not eligible for rehire.”
If an employer phones for a recommendation, the fact that you are only willing to confirm employment details is a signal onto itself that the person is probably not a good hire.
More likely HR would say “You’d be lucky to get him to work for you.”
Very true. OTOH, the net articles wont help any!